


Some Light Reading

by geekyjez



Series: Isii Lavellan [22]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fade Kiss, Reading, Sexual Tension, flirtation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:03:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2893007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekyjez/pseuds/geekyjez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Solas x Lavellan) Set after the Fade Kiss. Lavellan has been making excuses to spend time with Solas, even as he tries to go about his normal routine and act like nothing has happened. She decides to entertain herself with one of the novels she found in Cassandra’s collection. She also has some questions about a certain conversation she overheard while on the road…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Light Reading

Nothing about the Fade was simple.

Slipping in was never difficult for him. Maintaining the level of control necessary for interacting with his surroundings or conversing with spirits was not taxing in the way it had been for him once. There was, however, an emotional quality to the Fade that he had never found a solution for. Feelings were woven into the very fabric of the Fade itself; they fueled and shaped the spirits that populated it. Moving through such a place alters one’s perspective. If pressed, he would equate the feeling somewhat to drunkenness, though the comparison did little to truly capture the experience. A person’s mind does not feel clouded or misguided in the Fade as they would be with drink, but the ability to control their inhibitions was strained. Weakened. It was one of the qualities that made mages susceptible to demons who wished to use them to cross over. It was easier to succumb to temptation in the Fade. In sleep, he felt driven by his passions while his rational mind played a more secondary role.

He could only assume it had been the same for her.

He was surprised to see her there when he opened the door to his study. She was stretched out on the couch and reading a book, her back arched against a pillow, her legs draped languidly against the seat’s arm. She glanced up as he entered, greeting him with a smile.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” He said as he shut the door.

“I was looking for a quiet place to read.” Her fingertips idly twisted the corner of one page. “I’m not in your way, am I? I’ll leave if I’m bothersome.”

“No.” He answered a little more quickly than he had intended and her smile broadened. “No, you’re fine where you are.” He went to his table, laying down the books he had carried with him through the main hall. It had taken time for his requisitions to be fulfilled, but the first of his requested volumes had arrived. He took a seat, opening the first book, eager to begin thumbing through them in the hopes of finding something useful for their current predicament.

 _Just came in here to read?_ Her excuses were becoming less complicated over time. Despite her attempts at subtlety, he had noticed the recent change in her behavior. Ever since he visited her dreams, she had been finding excuses for them to be alone together. While she had often sought his company before, now it felt different. There was an anxious anticipation that hung between them ever since he told her that he would need time to think about the kiss and what it implied. She had made her interest in him clear, but she had not pressed the issue further. They had not spoken of it since. He did not know what she expected from him now. Simply an answer, or a repeat performance?

Her kiss in the Fade had taken him by surprise. It was positively chaste compared to how he responded, pressing her to his body and slating his mouth over hers hungrily. It had been an exhilarating feeling, but that was to be expected. His experience of that moment had been crafted by his own mind – she tasted as he wanted her to taste, she felt as he wanted her to feel. The Fade reflected what flesh could not. For her, it would have been the same. She clearly had imagined him to be an excellent kisser, given the small breathless sound that escaped her lips when they parted, the way she panted for a moment before her eyes fluttered open. The moment had been real, but not in the physical sense; therefore any sensation they felt was the sensation they wanted or expected. This was a subtlety that he was unsure she fully grasped. Perhaps he would prove to be a disappointment when he did kiss her in waking.

_No. Not when. If._

He tried to focus on the text in front of him. It was a dry read: an old Chantry brother’s research into the nature of the Veil. He hoped it would hold something of value, but he was skeptical. He was under no impressions that the Chantry was a good source to find true understanding of anything relating to the Fade, but he had to make do with what was available. This was a world now dominated by humans, after all. The vast majority of information available to him came only from human sources. Her occasional tittering drew his attention away from the text. She was grinning as she read. Apparently her book of choice was far more amusing than his own. More than once he caught her glancing over at him, though her eyes would immediately return to the page when he looked up, her lips curled in amusement. He took note of her, watching how she stretched and rotated her ankles slowly, how she bit her lips while reading over certain passages. Her laughter came in half-stifled giggles, far more girlish than he had come to expect from her. He would say she was acting coquettish if such a laugh were directed at him.

Then again, perhaps it was.

He could not deny that he felt a certain unexpected attraction to her that had been growing over the past weeks. She started as a mere curiosity; a Dalish with the power of his foci in her hand. He had seen a possible danger in that. She had the potential to abuse such a gift. Intentionally putting himself close to her was originally motivated by suspicion – he could quietly observe her, learn what sort of person she was, take note of whatever weaknesses she had on the chance that her sudden access to such power went as disastrously as it had with Corypheus.

His motivations changed, despite himself. He was no longer staying in her company because he needed to. He stayed because he wanted to. He sought her attention in small ways and got more satisfaction than he should have when she would reward his efforts. He did not observe her weaknesses, but rather took in the strength and grace of her body in combat, the passion that rippled to the surface when she fought. He had always found her beautiful. In the beginning, he saw her appearance as one would when viewing an aesthetically enjoyable tree or vista; the recognition of something being pleasing to the eye but holding no more weight than a passing glance. Looking at her now, he could not ignore that there was something more to it. As they traveled, his eyes would linger on the line of her throat as she tilted her head, on her slender fingers as she mindlessly raked her nails against her staff, on the curve of her body as she lifted herself up a stretch of rocks to get a better view of the path ahead. He could even appreciate the way her vallaslin traced the shape of her cheekbones and lips, despite how the markings had initially repulsed him.

He didn’t know where this was leading. This wasn’t a part of the plan.

Once he had determined that she was no threat, he should have made more of an effort to step away – possibly refusing her company in favor of solitude in order to strengthen what little distance still remained. He needed her to trust him – that much was necessary for when all this was finished. He needed her to agree to giving him the orb once it had been recovered. But he did not need to seek out the intimate friendship that had grown steadily between them. She had been playfully flirtatious with him, even before they had become friends. Had he not encouraged her with his responses? What had he intended to gain here? More complications?

Twice now he had experienced the rush of panic in thinking her dead. First at the hands of Alexius in Redcliffe, when he saw her wiped away from time, seemingly obliterated. Then soon after at Haven. The way he felt at the thought of losing her could not be suppressed or swept aside. There was a deeper ache, a brighter terror. It wasn’t just guilt or protectiveness and it wasn’t because he considered himself her friend. There was more there, whether he wanted to give it a name or not.

He sat, reading for a time. His focus lapsed. His mind would wander while his eyes continued to pass over the page. He found himself rereading long passages that he had skimmed over with no comprehension. Her presence was distracting, but not unwanted. If anything, she was distracting because he wanted her. He wanted to speak to her, to find out what made her laugh in that way, anything to draw her notice to him. This desire for her attention was what perplexed him more than anything else. If he simply lusted after her, it would be relatively easy to explain and ignore. Instead, he craved interaction. Approval. Her smile and her laugh and her touch. He knew that all he had to do was ask for these things and they would be his. It made the temptation harder to brush aside.

She huffed, muttering something about Varric under her breath. _Ah, so it is one of the dwarf’s books, then._ She shifted her gaze and caught him watching her.

“Sorry, am I distracting you?”

“I will admit you have me curious about what is so amusing.”

She smiled, stretching her legs. “I found one of Varric’s books in Cassandra’s collection.”

“Oh? I was not aware she favored crime novels.”

She laughed, another kittenish giggle as her nails raked lightly over the book’s cover. “It’s not a part of his Hightown series. It’s a different serial. _Swords and Shields._ ”

“Doesn’t sound like a comedy.”

“Oh, it isn’t.” She pressed her lips together to try and suppress her grin, but she was beaming. Clearly she found this funny. “It’s a romance novel. A shockingly smutty one at that.”

It gave her behavior a new context. Reading a steamy romance while stealing glances in his direction, her light and breathy laughter, the way she chewed on her lips…

“I don’t know if I’d say its particularly well-written if it is making you chuckle every few minutes.”

“It’s delightfully terrible.” She said, laying the book open across her chest. “The prose is dripping with… _enthusiasm._ ” She said, choosing the word carefully. “But it is thought-provoking in its own way.” One eyebrow arched subtly – as it always did when she was being flirtatious.

He looked back down to the tome. “At least there is something to be derived from it, then.” He muttered. His eyes scanned the page, but focusing had become impossible.

“You can read it when I’m done if you’d like.” She purred. It was clear she was not being serious with her offer. This was a provocation. A tease. “Or I could read you some of the highlights.”

When he glanced up, he wanted to project annoyance, but he could not stop his lips from curling as he saw her grin. “I think I will respectfully pass, Lethallan.”

She laughed – a small, light, breathless sound, so similar to the one she made when he pulled away from her…

He pushed the thought away. _You are a hopeless fool._

“Solas,” she began, still eyeing him. By her look, he could tell she was not finished playing with him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“I can’t guarantee an answer, but go on.”

“You’ve had a lot of experiences in the Fade, yes?” He nodded. “Lots of.. _different_ experiences?”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to get at something in particular?”

She pursed her lips. “I heard you and Blackwall talking earlier.”

His expression sank. _That stupid bearded ass._

“I was just wondering…”

“No.” He answered quickly, looking back down at his book.

She could not stifle her laughter. “I’m not trying to embarrass you, Solas. I swear.”

“No.” His cheeks felt hot, though he could not quite determine if it was driven more by anger or embarrassment. _That childish… immature… and Sera too…_

“I’m just curious about what you meant by—”

“No.”

He heard her close her book, lifting herself off of the couch. He didn’t look up, looking very intently at the page he wasn’t reading. He had hoped when Blackwall had brought up that certain line of questioning that she had been out of earshot. Apparently he had not been so fortunate.

She rested her hand gently on his shoulder. “I honestly was not trying to make you uncomfortable, Solas. I’m sorry if I upset you.” He didn’t respond. She gave him a friendly, chaste kiss on the top of his head. “I’ll leave you alone.”

The heat of his upset drained as she walked toward the door. “You can stay.” He said quietly. She turned to look at him. “If you’d like. I only ask for some time to focus on my reading.”

She smiled softly and settled back onto the couch, returning to her book. He thumbed back to the beginning of his, starting over, already having lost what little he had been able to retain before. He would have to take notes.

There was something comfortable in the air then, as they both settled into the silence. He didn’t feel the need for her attention because he knew he had it. Simply by being there, he held a part of her regard – as she did his.

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of Solas pondering things and Isii being a tease. Because, in the end, that summarizes their relationship (at least before the angst). 
> 
> And if it wasn't clear, the conversation with Blackwall she is referring to is the infamous "more than friends with spirits" conversation from the Blackwall/Solas banter.
> 
> This fic inspired a request for Isii to actually start reading passages to Solas from _Swords and Shields_. That is covered in the fic [Some Choice Passages.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3262124)


End file.
